Page 31 of Exclusive

“Me, too.” She inclined her head back down the hallway. “I propose we take theoptionto finish that wine before Johanna thinks we ditched it.”

I exhaled, trying to remember what a simple task like wine drinking might entail because my world had been wonderfully disrupted. “I think I can manage that.”

It turned out to be harder than I thought. We attempted to muddle our way through conversation.

“Tell me about your mom,” Carrie said. “You said she raised you alone.”

I nodded and swirled the wine in my glass. My heart still thudded.Focus. “She worked long hours and put herself through law school, trying to provide for me. So she wasn’t around a lot, but when she was, she was always this bright light in my life. I spent a lot of time with my aunt and uncle, lived with them for months at a time. And Sarah, my cousin, who you’ve met. She was at the dinner party.”

“The sweetest human on the planet.” The way she was looking at me, though, said her mind wasn’t on Sarah or her sweet qualities. It was where mine was, trapped back down that hallway and wanting to kiss her again.

“She’s pretty great.”

“I can tell.”

“Me, too.”

“A lot.”

We were no longer making sense. What we were doing was losing ourselves in each other’s eyes like a couple of lustful cartoon characters. I’d never experienced this kind of physical tug to another person and savored every moment of it.

“Speaking of the dinner party, you in that dress.” Carrie shook her head. “I could not stop looking. I thought you were beautiful the first moment I laid eyes on you, but that night…” She grinned into her drink and took a sip.

“Yeah, well, you weren’t the only one making discoveries. I had no idea you…”

“What?”

I dropped my voice. “Weren’t exactly straight.” I still didn’t know how she identified, but after that kiss, I could certainly rule out one option.

“Well, I’ve not taken out a billboard.”

“Is it something you keep quiet?”

“There was probably a time when I did. But these days, no. I’m not interested in bottling up who I am. But I’m sure there are executives who would prefer it.”

I blinked. That one snagged my attention, because this was the second mention today about what the higher-ups might want. “It seems like you get a lot of pressure from above.”

She laughed. “Understatement. I’m sure they would love it if I lost ten pounds and ten years, but I’m not a magician. So they control the things theycan, like my clothes, my PR framing.”

“God.” Carrie didn’t strike me as the kind of woman who would bow to those kinds of demands, so it made me wonder if she feared for her job. The idea seemed ludicrous to me. She was a staple in this city. Her face was everywhere, and in my experience, she was universally adored. “I can’t say I’ve received the same kind of scrutiny. I think that just means I’m a nobody.”

“Give it time.” She shook her head. “You’re not going to be a nobody forever. Your star is already climbing. Trust me.”

I was nervous to ask for more, but I valued her perspective. “What makes you think so?”

“You have that spark. It’s unteachable. People are born with it or they aren’t. Others just can’t look away. Do you think Tam hired you for your experience?”

“I was covering softball games and the mayor getting a pie in the face for charity.”

“See? He knows the spark when he sees it.”

“He saw it in you.”

“Back in the day, yes. I’d only worked in two other markets before landing as a reporter at KTMW.”

“You were me. And maybe I’ll be you one day.” I looked off into the distance wistfully, only halfway serious.

She nodded. “But be careful what you wish for.”

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